The Tecno Phantom V Flip 2 is one more strong flip-style folding telephone

After discovering success with its first-generation foldables telephone producer Tecno has returned with its all-new Phantom V Flip 2. This flip-style gadget has a whole lot of positives going for it, nevertheless it is not releasing in a vacuum. Robust competitors from the likes of Motorola, Samsung, and others is the brand new actuality of the trendy flip telephone market.

The Phantom V Flip 2 does loads proper on the floor — however how good is the expertise in the true world? And, can the software program bundle stand its floor in opposition to bigger and more established players? I positioned my SIM card into the foldable to seek out out.

Value, availability, and specs

The Tecno Phantom V Flip 2 measures in at 6.72 x 2.89 x 0.30-inches (170.75 x 73.4 x 7.64mm) when unfolded, and three.46 x 2.89 x 0.63-inches (87.8 x 73.4 x 16.04mm) when folded shut. When coupled with the gadget’s 6.9oz (196g) weight, the V Flip 2 is comparatively skinny and light-weight within the hand.

The interior show is a 6.9-inch 1080 x 2560 pixel decision AMOLED affair, whereas the outer display screen is a 3.64-inch AMOLED panel. Each shows run at a capped refresh fee of 60Hz.

The digicam setup is typical for a flip-style foldable, with a front-facing selfie shooter and a twin rear lens setup. The previous is available in at 32-megapixel, and the latter is a pair of 50-megapixel huge and 50-megapixel ultra-wide shooters.

As for the brains of the operation, we’re trying on the MediaTek Dimensity 8020 chip, which is a comfortably midrange providing by way of energy output. The battery sizes in at 4,720 mAh, with assist for 70w wired charging.

The Phantom V Flip 2 begins at $700, and is available in a single configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of inner storage. The colour selections on supply embrace moondust gray and travertine inexperienced. The telephone will be bought from numerous on-line storefronts, together with Amazon. Tecno does have its own retail presence, however at the moment not inside any main western market.

What I preferred concerning the Tecno Phantom V Flip 2

This feels extra refined than a second-generation product usually would

My favourite facet of Tecno’s new Flip 2 foldable is its construct — it feels premium within the hand regardless of solely being a second-generation product. The hinge would not snap shut fairly as luxuriously as another units in the marketplace, nevertheless it feels satisfying nonetheless.

I additionally loved the general cowl display screen expertise — the show is large and vibrant, with tons of customization choices to make it your personal. When unfolding the unit, you are greeted by a tackle Android that provides a strong stage of customization choices all through.

The MediaTek Dimensity 8020 is a mid-range chip through-and-through, however I personally had no gripes when utilizing the gadget. It is largely unsuitable for gaming and different intensive duties, however that goes with out saying. When examined, I bought a Geekbench 6 rating of 752 in single-core, and a couple of,515 in multi-core.

The digicam system is first rate sufficient, however the bar is not precisely set excessive in the case of flip-style foldable telephones. I discovered the efficiency to be middling — not top-notch, however not noticeably poor in high quality both.

What I did not like concerning the Tecno Phantom V Flip 2

The software program pores and skin wants further refinement, and Tecno must assist the gadget for longer

As nice as utilizing the Phantom V Flip 2 feels from a {hardware} perspective, I discovered the software program expertise to be a weaker hyperlink. My greatest concern comes right down to longevity — the corporate solely gives assist for 2 further years of Android characteristic updates, which is notably lower than OEMs like Samsung. Tecno does supply three years of safety patch updates, and it provides a website with up-to-date data on that entrance.

The software program characteristic set itself is well-rounded, however the iOS-inspired theming and interface issues aren’t to my private style. I additionally had bother with the capacitive fingerprint sensor mounted on the sleep/wake key — it wound up being much less responsive than I’d’ve preferred, and it introduced down the expertise for me by a bit.

The dearth of assist for Qi wi-fi charging is a cutback that I want Tecno hadn’t made, as I take advantage of inductive chargers to high up different handsets each day. The 70w quick charging brick is included within the field, which I admire, nevertheless it’s a proprietary system, which is not supreme.

Lastly, the duvet show ships with a decrease decision than I’d’ve preferred — at a normal viewing distance, particular person pixels cannot fairly be discerned, however there is a slight fuzziness to your complete factor. For a telephone delivery in 2024, that is most likely essentially the most disappointing facet of your complete bundle.

Must you purchase the Tecno Phantom V Flip 2?

Tecno’s new flip telephone is a considerably compelling selection

The flip-style foldable telephone market is full of glorious choices from Android OEMs like Motorola and Samsung. Tecno’s Phantom V Flip 2 comes remarkably near matching the standard of those far more established OEMs, and does so in what is barely a second-generation product.

The {hardware} facet of the V Flip 2 is satisfactory, and the person expertise is fairly strong. I am not a fan of the 60Hz show refresh fee, which I discovered exhausting to regulate to after a lot time utilizing 120Hz shows. As for the software program, it gives a good quantity of customization, nevertheless it additionally feels considerably unrefined in comparison with the competitors. The lowly two years of Android OS updates is a big letdown.

At $700, I do not discover there to be a massively compelling cause to choose the V Flip 2 over, say, a Motorola Razr flip telephone, which gives a cleaner Android expertise and a construct that is extra premium to carry within the hand. That being stated, I feel that with one other 12 months or two price of refinements, Tecno may genuinely have a winner on its hand.

This gadget was offered to Pocket-lint by Tecno.

Tecno Phantom V Flip 2 5G